Hunting for Misty
by MentalistSweete
Summary: Spoilers for 2x07 and up. House has a new girl, and he helps Stacy with a different kind of rat. THIS IS NOT STEVE MCQUEEN. Wilson is very confused. Rated T just in case


**Wow. I have no idea what compelled me to write this, but whatever! Also, I don't know why I named it this, but I've seen far worse titles on this site. Spoilers for episodes 2x07-2x10. Disclaimer says David Shore owns House and company, not me.**

House and Wilson are searching for meds in the back of the pharmacy. Wilson doesn't really know what he is doing there, other than to help House with his patient.

"If you're wrong, steroids will tank his immune system. He'll get worse."

"Now _that_ would be interesting. Where the hell is the sapropterin?"

"If your patient's got a blood problem then blood reducers aren't exactly"

"It's for Stacy's rat; it's got allergies." He reaches for a bottle.

"Trying to win Stacy back by nursing an animal... very motherly caveman."

"I don't want her back. I just want her to find another job or for Cuddy to re-assign her. Either way, I'm happy." House responds nonchalantly.

Wilson pinches the bridge of his nose. "If you want her back, either tell her, or, better yet, shut up, and cry yourself to sleep like everybody else."

House stares back at his friend. "I don't want her back. I'm glad she's here, but I don't want to work with her, and I don't want her back."

Later, the ducklings are crowded in House's office, with said man talking to them via speakerphone. Since House is speaking in soft, hesitant tones, Foreman is curious.

"Bad time? Where are you?" Foreman asks.

House sighs heavily. "At your girlfriend's place. Ignore the moaning and squeaking."

Chase sighs, going into the medical stuff. The ducklings go back and forth, with House adding in a few things. His voice slowly decreases by decibel. He's in Stacy's attic, inching closer to a small figure asleep in a ball. There is a blanket over the figure, and it starts twitching aggressively. House inches closer, wary of his leg.

"Well let's assume it's one of those. Give him Ganciclovir for the CMV..." House starts whispering.

"Where are you?" Foreman asks.

"In a closet. Your girlfriend's other boyfriend showed up. Ganciclovir for the CMV, Sulfadiazine for the Toxo, Bactrim for PCP. Gotta go. It's Boogeyman time."

House puts down the phone, and he gradually sits himself on a small beanbag. It's heavy on his leg, but he doesn't mind. He uncovers the figure, revealing a young girl. Her breathing is shallow, and House gently shakes her awake.

"Gweg?" She asks in a lisp.

"I'm here, honey. Wanna talk about it?"

She shakes her head, tears staining her cheeks. She instead holds her arms toward him. Uncharacteristically, House leans in to give her a hug. As they sit there hugging, the girl starts sobbing again. House's leg eventually gets the better of him and he needs to pull back.

"Gweg hurt?" She asks with glossy eyes.

"Yeah, butternut." He gently grips her arm.

"I sowwy."

He shakes his head. "Not your fault, butternut."

"Mommy said"

"Not your fault." He repeats, cutting her off adamantly.

A familiar voice is heard downstairs, and the two wait patiently for the footsteps to walk up the trap door. Eventually, Stacy finds them. The little girl is drawn closer to House, clinging onto his arm like her life depends on it. Stacy notices this and smiles sadly, matching a knowing gaze with House. She walks closer, taking a seat on the floor.

"Maybe you should take her home tonight."

"Stacy…"

"The walk-in is now a bedroom, Greg. We enlarged it and decorated it."

House reaches in his back pocket with his free hand to fetch his wallet. Stacy shakes her head.

"I told you I wouldn't take your money."

"Stacy."

"Greg. Think of her." She nods to the girl.

House nods in appreciation. He moves his hand away from his pocket and instead reaches for his cane. As he props himself to his feet, he looks down cautiously to the small child.

"Do you want to see your new bedroom?"

The girl looks up at him with impossibly wide eyes. "My own bedwoom, Gweg?"

He nods with a faint smile. A grin immediately covers her face. She looks down for a split second and then launches herself at House's good leg. Stacy grins, and House gives her a unique smile mixed with gratitude and worry. Stacy's phone cuts off the moment, with Mark's signature _My Sweetheart_ ringtone. House inwardly gags, but he starts moving toward the door. The young girl reluctantly lets go when they reach the stairs. Stacy has thankfully constructed a car seat into House's corvette. It doesn't take too long to get back to his apartment. He drives carefully, and unbuckles her when they get back. The girl has no qualms about following him up the stairs. She clings to him when they pass an unknown woman. She's excited about crossing the threshold.

"Ready to see your new room?"

She grins again as he drops off his blue bag and her purple backpack by the couch. She starts jumping out of excitement. He nods and takes her hand, leading her to the back of the apartment. He wishes that he had an extra room, but the walk-in closet has plenty of room for a two-year-old girl. He opens the door and turns on the light hesitantly. Inside is a purple miniature race car bed, a small vanity, a clutter of toys in the corner and some new clothes in a recently-built wardrobe. In big lavender felt letters, the wall by the bed and vanity, spell 'M-I-S-T-Y'.

She runs inside and jumps on the bed. She bounces off and rummages through her toys. After some time, she brandishes a toy doctors kit with a working stethoscope. House smiles at the sight and takes a seat on the bed. The girl grabs a princess gown from the wardrobe and throws it on backwards. The doctor's kit opens, and the tools fall out. She disregards it and fishes out some crayons from her vanity, overlooking the coloring books. She throws the crayons and some of the tools into the kit. She runs over to House, almost tripping over his cane. He chuckles, helping her up to the bed.

"Can I help you, Doctor Misty?"

"Gotta listen." She responds, holding up the stethoscope around her neck.

House nods good-naturedly and holds up one end. He instructs her to put the other ends into her ears to listen to his heartbeat. Her jaw drops, looking up to him with her eyes wide again. He smiles gently, and she is excited. She sleeps over in her new bed. The following morning, Stacy's sister comes over to watch over Misty while House is at work. Wilson meets House in the latter's office that afternoon.

"Where've you been all last night?"

"Stacy's… my place."

"So, you just show up every time he's at physio?"

House shrugs. "It's for the rat."

Wilson shakes his head. "And when she happens to mention to Mark that you dropped by?"

House narrows his eyes. "You tell your wife everything?" 

"It's a… process." Wilson sighs. "But Stacy doesn't have any reason to hide this from Mark." He follows House out of the office. "As far as she knows, Mark's okay with you being there."

House only nods, stepping into the elevator. Wilson follows. "So, Chinese tonight?"

He nods again. "Yep. But not with you."

"Stacy?" Wilson raises his eyebrow.

"Stacy's sister." He answers, stepping out of the elevator.

"Her sister?" Wilson starts moving before the doors close again.

"Yep. Jealous?"

House leaves Wilson utterly confused at the sign-out desk. If Wilson had followed him out, he'd be shocked that House isn't driving a corvette or motorcycle. Instead, he's driving Stacy's sister's dark violet sedan. After returning to the apartment, House and Stacy's sister Daphne attach the car seat from the corvette to the sedan. The three spend the night together, eating Chinese and watching Disney movies. The following morning, House walks into the elevator, meeting Cameron. She's come in late.

"You're late… and hung over." He carefully looks over her. "Or maybe not."

"I heard you had a rat." She deflects.

"Jealous?"

In the afternoon, House walks into Cuddy's office, playing with a toy bird. "Two successful surgeries, two lives saved. I'm over my quota. Can I have next week off?"

Cuddy snatches the toy away from him. "Two family members assaulted."

The two argue for a while, over self-defense assault and Cuddy ordering him to go see Stacy.

"You flooded his gut with a parasite. He could sue. Go see Stacy."

"Okay."

He turns to leave, and Cuddy gawks. "That's it? Okay? No name-calling? No squawking? No rending of garments?"

"I like this T-shirt." House shrugs. "Besides, Wilson likes Stacy too. I think."

"What does Wilson, know what? Don't care. Go see Stacy." 

House does as asked, and he walks into Stacy's office. She sees him instantly. "Heard you hit another patient."

"Yeah, sure. Why not? He hit me first."

"Cuddy didn't mention that. Let me see." She comes around the desk to look at his jaw.

"I'm the doctor."

"My concern is purely legal." She pats the skin where he got punched. "Looks okay, does it hurt?"

"A little."

"You need some ice." She fetches some from the little fridge in the corner. "How's Amethyst settling in?"

"She's okay. She likes the room."

Stacy smiles. "The doctor things were Daphne's idea."

"She was a princess doctor." House's lips twitch.

"I'm glad you hired her to watch over. She loves kids."

"It shows." House grabs the ice pack and collects himself to his feet. "Thanks, Stacy."

Six months pass by. House is clever at keeping Wilson away from his apartment. Several times, House has paid Daphne to take Misty elsewhere. House and Daphne grow closer to Misty. They're careful to keep her things out of the living room, wary of anyone who might show up without notice. Misty is growing up, and is now two and a half. She starts getting better around the neighbors, no longer clinging to House at every passerby. House must go to court, and Misty is still a secret. Foreman has become House's boss at work, but Misty patches him up at home.

The trio ends up at a horse track on House's day off – since Misty's idea is to "see the horsies." House bets for Seminole Uprising to win just as the race closes. He meets another better watching the race on the monitor. Misty is sitting at the bar with Daphne – the former drinking apple juice, and the latter with a nonalcoholic Pina Colada. He watches them from a distance as he also watches the race. The girl he was talking with at the betting window collapses. Misty is alarmed, and House orders the bartender to call an ambulance.

"Methodist is three blocks down. I could drive her."

Just make the call." House shakes his head, noticing discolored stretch marks and bruises on her abdomen.

"What the hell is that?" The man asks, holding the phone to his ear.

"How should I know? Tell the paramedics to take her to Princeton-Plainsboro. The doctor's name is House." 

He moves over to the bar, where Daphne is holding onto Misty. "Daph, I need you to take me to the hospital. I just got a case. Misty, I gotta go to work."

"Help the lady?" She asks.

"Yeah, rugrat. I'm gonna help the lady."

"Kay."

Daphne takes House to the hospital, and he promises them that he'll be back by night. With Foreman as his boss, Cameron overshadows what House is doing. As always, House is sarcastic though the situation. After House and Chase complete their biopsy, House leaves the hospital at seven thirty. The three have Chinese again and play doctor. It definitely helps when Misty and Greg need to take their medicine. The next morning, House sets out to the hospital at nine thirty. This goes on for two more days. Finally, the woman is cured, and House leaves early to spend time at home with the girls.

A week later, House is spending a lot of time with Stacy as his lawyer. They, Daphne and Misty are sitting in an airport. It is snowing heavily outside, and House decides to call Wilson. Misty is asleep in Daphne's arms, and House is watching from a short distance.

"Hey honey, how are the kids? They miss me?"

On the other end, Wilson is thankful House can't see his face. "This may take a minute."

"What's new with Mr. Aphasia?"

"Cuddy called you?"

"Everybody covers their ass."

"Pulmonary edema. Chase did a tox screen, came back positive for amphetamines, he did the dance of victory."

"I'm betting there's another shoe."

"I thought the kids didn't call you."

A kid sitting behind House in the airport bounces a ball on the back of House's chair. Across the way, the bouncing noise wakes up Misty. House turns around to glare at the ball-bouncing kid.

"I know the way you tell stories."

"Foreman went to talk to Stone about his drug test, found him running a temperature."

"So it's not the drugs. He's just got such a bad rep."

The ball bounces on the back of the chair again. Misty wriggles out of Daphne's grasp and climbs up to the chair next to House. House turns around and glares at the ball-bouncing kid once more before turning his attention back to the phone call.

"Okay, I gotta hang up. They're probably trying to reach me."

"You don't have call waiting?"

"I'm hanging up on you now."

"It's five dollars a month."

House ignores him and hangs up the phone. The ball bounces on the back of his seat again. House rolls his eyes and dials his conference room number. Foreman puts him on speakerphone.

"How high a fever?"

Foreman raises his eyebrows in surprise. "101. How did you know?"

"What, you think you guys could have a party as soon as the parents are gone, and I won't hear about it? And why didn't you call me? Start with broad spectrum antibiotics for possible bacterial meningitis, and an anti-viral in case we luck out and its herpes encephalitis."

"What if it's auto-immune?" Cameron asks.

"Well then we're screwed. Which is why we need more information."

The ball-bouncing kid is now scrambling beneath House's chair, trying to search for his ball. House continues talking with the ducklings over the case. House is complaining that the ducklings haven't learned anything, as the little boy returns to his seat. Misty nudges House, showing him the other kid's bouncy ball she snagged. It had bounced into her backpack, and she had snatched it from the floor. House smiles at her likeness, and ends the call.

"The man can't talk!" Foreman is upset.

"Who cares?" He asks without much malice. "He's probably going to lie anyway. My flight's a little late; we'll be back in a few hours."

They put down the phones, and House turns to the girl. He holds up his hand and she high-fives with a giggle. He motions to a hot chocolate and coffee cart wheeling over, and she nods enthusiastically. He pulls himself up, and Stacy notices. They buy three coffees and a hot chocolate. The quartet sits together on the airport chairs. Once Misty falls asleep on Daphne and Greg's laps – avoiding the bad leg – Greg talks to Stacy while looking around the airport.

"When people give themselves away, it's by little things. That woman over there, she's not sneering at her coffee, she's recovering from Bell's palsy. And the cashier at the coffee place, she doesn't want anybody to know she's dying of ALS. There's a particular sort of twitchy stiff arm that's characteristic." He pauses. "And then there's you. Why aren't you wearing your cross?"

"Uh, I left it"

"You keep jewelry cleaner under the sink, so you won't have to go a day without it. True, you forgot it that morning that our pipes burst, but then you went back and waded through the flood to retrieve it. Soo... why no wading today?"

Stacy groans. "You didn't bring a book to read or something?"

House innocently looks away and sips his coffee. Stacy sighs exasperatedly and looks away, focusing on her coffee. After a while, House pulls out a book from his backpack titled _Lesbian Prison Stories_. She starts reading a newspaper.

"Either you left it behind on purpose, or by mistake. We can figure you forgetting it unintentionally, but then we'd have to explain why you didn't go back for it when you realized."

"I didn't realize until I got to the airport."

"Nope, you were in make-up when you got to the airport. Can't put on make-up without looking at yourself and you can't look at yourself without touching that thing."

"Why does this matter to you?"

"It's an anomaly." House admits. "Anomalies bug me."

"Then you're going to suffer."

She returns to her paper. A couple hours later, Misty wakes up and Daphne takes her to the restroom. As they turn the corner, House dogears his page, and he brings up the subject again.

"I suppose it's also possible that the clasp broke, but then you'd be carrying the thing around in your purse."

Stacy turns around and snaps at him. "We had a fight. We had a fight and I was angry and not thinking straight, and I walked out without my make-up and without my cross! I stopped at the drug store to buy make-up, but I couldn't buy a cross because they don't have an aisle for personal talismans!"

House grows immediately contrite. "You had a fight. I'm sure it'll blow over."

"It was about nothing."

"Of course, it was. Mark's tired, he's worried, he's got mobility problems. It's normal that he'd blow up over little things."

Stacy shakes her head. "I don't mind fighting over little things! I don't even mind fighting over big things! That I could understand. But we fight over nothing! You know a mailbox with a sign that says, "last pick-up 5pm", does that mean last pick-up to go to the post office, or last pick-up to leave the post office and be sent out of town?"

House winces. "You fought over mail delivery?"

"I tried to get him to drop the subject, but he wouldn't. I told him he was right, he thought I was being condescending."

"You were."

"He's pushing me out of his life."

"Maybe you're misinterpreting."

"Did I misinterpret with you? At least this time I recognize it. That's the benefit of convincing the only two men you've ever loved they're better off without you."

House rolls his eyes. "Yeah, it's all your fault. You know Stacy in the original Greek means relationship killer."

"Stacy kill?" Misty questions, walking back over.

The adults' faces immediately soften. Stacy stands. "No, sweetheart."

House motions for her to come sit with him. "No, butternut. We were just playing."

"Stacy no kill?"

"Yeah, Stacy no kill."

Stacy's phone suddenly goes off, playing _Barbie Girl_. House's ears perk up, wondering who would have that ringtone. She picks it up but immediately hands it over to House before walking off to the restrooms.

"It's for you."

"House." He greets the caller.

"Do you know your phone's dead? Do you ever recharge your batteries?" Wilson asks on the other end.

House grins. "They recharge? I just keep buying new phones."

"I thought you should know your aphasia guy is tasting metal."

"6.8, He's got kidney failure. Cameron's got him on dialysis and he's stable for the moment - unlike Cuddy, who's suicidal."

House sighs, and both hang up. Misty is now sitting beside House, coloring in a book she took from her vanity back home. Daphne is sitting across from them, writing in a notebook. House starts dialing his phone again. Foreman picks it up as expected, and it goes immediately to speakerphone.

"You have to do it just right."

"What are you talking about?"

"Either you've decided to do a lumbar puncture, or you have to fire me so that I can't fire all of you as soon as I get back in charge. Is Cuddy there ranting?"

"If I'd known you'd be out of contact," The woman in question responds.

"They can handle it."

House, Cuddy and the ducklings keep it up with what promises to be a confusing and complex case. House tells Cuddy to go to her own office. Since he's not there, she just walks to the door and leans on it. House and the ducklings continue as though she isn't there.

"That's cause you guys haven't scared him enough. I'm sure you've been all "oh we'll take read good care of you", why should he say anything? When you prep him, tell him he's going to die. Crush all hope. Don't let Cameron do it. Cuddy, you got a problem with any of that?"

The ducklings look at Cuddy, who seems speechless. House hangs up the phone, leaving them to do what he's said. As House places his phone into his blue bag, and the PA system sounds.

"Attention please, due to weather conditions, our flights are grounded until further notice. Cots are being provided on the lower level. We apologize for the inconvenience."

House groans at the news, nudging Misty. She meets his eyes and instantly puts away her things. She slides on her backpack and jumps up. She takes House's free hand.

"Want me to run down and reserve you a cot with view?"

Daphne shakes her head. "Stacy and I booked a room at the airport hotel when I saw how bad the weather was; it was the last one available."

"Quick thinking."

Stacy walks over, having heard the last exchange. "Yes, it was. Your leg can't handle a night on a cot."

House is shocked. "Thanks."

"I'm ready." Daphne announces.

Misty tugs on House's hand. "Ready."

"Right." House blinks.

"The hotel's upstairs." Stacy motions.

"Does Mark know about this?" House asks with a smirk.

"Mark knows when things are bad I always like to have an escape route planned."

The four take the elevator to their hotel room. It's very spacious, and it has a double bed with a couch. House almost collapses onto the first bed, and Misty climbs up to join him. Daphne volunteers to take the couch.

"No, no." Stacy shakes her head. "I had to go here and bring House with me, and then he brought you and Amethyst because doesn't get to see you when he has to work, so"

House cuts her off tiredly. "For once in your life will you shut up? Daph called the couch, so take the bed, already."

"You're a jerk." She pouts, taking the other bed.

Just before Daphne can shut off the light, _Crazy Kids_ plays. House groans, reaches for his bag by the bed and pulls out his cell phone. He flips it on; the other end has the speakerphone.

"How did the LP go? Give me the reader's digest condensed version."

"Preliminary results are some kind of infection, which... narrows it down..." Chase announces.

"From infinity, yeah." House rolls his eyes.

He and the ducklings talk about the patient, though House really wants to go to sleep. Misty does too, as evident that she snuggles closer and lets out a yawn.

"… He also said "they took my stain"?" Cameron adds.

This gains House's immediate attention. He carefully rolls away from Misty, and her eyes pop open in alarm. House puts the phone to his chest and Misty grasps House's other arm.

"I need to go to the bathroom, butternut. I'll be back."

"Pwomise?"

"I promise."

Misty nods and sits up against the headboard. House doesn't need his cane as he limps to the bathroom. Daphne goes ahead and turns off the light as the bathroom door closes.

"Keep him talking. Write down everything he says."

The ducklings do so, and they give House what all he says – which isn't much. House uses one of Stacy's lipsticks to copy it on the mirror. [I couldn't tackle the bear. They took my stain.] After thirty minutes, House has hung up the phone. Misty wanders in.

"You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, hi, butternut. I'm okay. Couldn't sleep?"

She shakes her head and looks up to the mirror. She points. "Work?"

"Yep. I've got to figure out what it means."

"Sleep here?"

"Why don't you go grab a pillow and a blanket, and you can sleep in the bathtub tonight?"

Misty nods. "And Tommy too?"

House smiles gently. "Yeah. Go get your bat."

Misty does as asked. She almost falls off the bed, climbing up it to snatch the pillow. Daphne wakes up from the thumping. She sees Misty trying to pull off the blanket, and she helps. Misty then grabs her bat plushy from her backpack. They carry the items to the bathroom, and Daphne silently sets up a makeshift bed for Misty in the bathtub. She tucks the girl in, and she snuggles with the bat.

"Gweg?"

"Yeah, butternut?"

"Hold my hand?"

House scoots against the wall and places his hand over Misty's in the tub. Daphne smiles at the domestic scene. She closes the curtain and looks up at the mirror.

"Crimson desire?"

"Shows up well on a mirror."

She nods. "Probably why she bought it. Are you going to be or are you staying up all night?"

"You can take the bed."

Daphne sighs. "You're doing a good job, Greg."

She kisses the top of his head and leaves the room. It's very early in the morning when House calls the team out of desperation.

"Well you must have gotten one new phrase out of him, something?"

Foreman yawns on the other end, looking at the other tired ducklings. "We've been talking to him for hours. Maybe he's just given up."

"Are you sure you told me everything you found in his home and office?"

"No, we're hiding something." Chase deadpans.

The ducklings converse over the case with House. The ducklings have freshly made coffee and are pacing in the conference room. House is still in the bathroom, holding his hand in the tub. Instead of Misty holding back, his hand is grazing the toy bat. The ducklings discover their patient can only talk when a needle is in his back, or when his wife isn't in the room.

"That's cynical." House yawns.

"You disagree?" Cameron asks.

"No, I'm kvelling." He exaggerates in a voice fill with false tears. "Our little girl is growing up! Ok, what's the best way to rip a woman from the side of her dying husband?"

House has been up all night. It is early in the morning, and everyone is out of the hotel room. They're in the airport boarding room. House is pacing. His cane is in one hand, and his phone is in the other. Misty is hugging her bat plushy, standing with Daphne. Stacy is out of line, trying to talk some sense into Greg.

"Your flight's been boarding for 20 minutes!"

"I'll take another one."

"Greg they can't leave without you, you checked your knapsack."

The phone rings, and House picks it up. "Are we in?"

The ducklings are in Fletcher the patient's room. The speakerphone has been moved there.

"Yeah." Foreman answers.

"Hi, I'm Gregory House; I'm your attending physician, your wife's not there, start talking."

"They took my stain! I couldn't tackle the bear, they took my stain."

House cuts him off. "Ok, shut up now. Nice work, Cameron. Give him the list again."

The whiteboard has been wheeled in. House and the ducklings go over the case.

"Are we sure he wasn't reacting to pain?" Chase asks. "He's been on painkillers."

"Come on Chase, drugs didn't do this to him. Even if he is an addict." House groans.

"I dissuade the tonal category." Fletcher speaks up.

"Oh please." House scoffs. "Mr. sleeping pills, amphetamines, bring me up, bring me down."

"Will passenger Gregory House, please report to Gate 7. Gregory House to Gate 7." The PA system announces.

House doesn't seem to have heard the announcement, and instead he realizes something and stares at the wall. "Ever hear this one? Build a house, each wall has a southern exposure, big bear comes wandering by, what color's the bear?"

"White. It's a polar bear; you built your house in the North Pole." Cameron understands.

Fletcher grabs Cameron's hand reverently. House nods. "Polar. Whatever your name is, patient! Are you bipolar?"

Fletcher nods, jerking Cameron's hand. House's voice cuts over the speaker. "What's that? I can't see, is he nodding?"

"Yes." The patient chokes out.

"Topamax isn't just off-labeled for weight loss. It's off-labeled for mood disorders. Plenty of bipolars are manic in the daytime, depressive at night. He's been medicating for years with alcohol and sleeping through the bad hours. It explains the danger journalism, explains everything including the kitchen sink. Ok, technically it's kitchen cabinets. He starts a project, then he stops."

"Except bipolar disorder does not cause seizures." Cameron complains.

"And it doesn't shut down your kidneys, but what it _does_ do"

A security guy walks up to House. "Excuse me sir, can I see your ID?"

"I'm on the phone, I'm on the phone"

"Now please."

The ducklings are calling after House, as the security guy takes the phone and nudges House. Misty drops to the floor and runs after them.

"Look, I'm a Doctor, and this is an emergency call. I'm not going anywhere."

The security guy looks at House's ID. He has House's phone in his other hand, and then looks down at the cane and the little girl holding the bat.

"You think you're gonna take me on?"

"I kick, and I bite."

Misty nods and bares her teeth. The security guy sighs, but he hands the phone back. "You're either on that plane, or you're going into custody."

The security guy walks toward the boarding line to talk to the flight attendant. House puts his ID back in his wallet, and Foreman is calling out for him.

"Being bipolar makes you take risks, you seek excitement. You make up stories."

"I dine valuate a lever!" Fletcher cries out indignantly.

House huffs. "Fine, maybe your stories are legit. People would start to wonder. Annoyed politicians, entire governments would be on your ass. You couldn't tell anybody you were bipolar, which was fine. Until you fell in love. And you wanted that life. And you hear that there's a surgical cure, give the woman you love the life she wants. All you have to do is change. Bilateral cingulotomy, an experimental surgery that some people claim helps mood disorders."

"And if it's done by gamma knife, there's no trace of cutting. That's the neural scarring we saw on the MRI." Foreman nods.

"Which explained nothing because it wasn't even in the right area." Cameron sighs.

"It's not the surgery, it's the secrecy! What causes recurring fever? Neurological problems, lethargies that you fight with caffeine pills and amphetamines."

The door to Fletcher's room opens, Elizabeth and Cuddy walk in. The ducklings and Fletcher panic, because House on the other end of the phone line is oblivious. He keeps going.

"It wasn't your secret psych disorder; it was your secret daily drug use. It was the secret trip, and your secret surgery in Caracas or Buenos Aires, which by the way didn't work given the state of your kitchen cabinets."

"House!" Cameron exclaims. "Shut up!"

House raises an eyebrow but complies. In the hospital, Fletcher's wife Elizabeth slowly walks up to her husband. "Is he right?" Fletcher guiltily nods. "Your doctors... know you better than I do. That man on the speakerphone, he never even met you and _he_ knows you better than I do."

Fletcher hugs his chest and looks at her. She mouths 'you love me?' They both look like they're about to cry and he nods. House figures out what's going on. In a quiet voice, he orders his team to get blood on a slide and not put it through a computer. He hangs up and the security guy is walking toward him again. He slides the phone in his pocket and reaches down to grasp Misty's free hand. They follow Daphne and Stacy onto the plane. Stacy offers him a look as if asking if his patient will be okay. He gives her an iffy smile and she nods, taking it for an answer. They un their tickets to the person up front and retrieve their stubs. A clerk checks in House's cane, and he leans on Daphne to help hold him upright. They sit together, with Misty obtaining the window seat as they take off.


End file.
